Readout of relaxation rates by nonadiabatic pumping spectroscopy

We put forward nonadiabatic charge pumping as a method for accessing the different charge relaxation rates as well as the relaxation rates of excited orbital states in double-quantum-dot setups, based on extremely size-limited quantum dots and dopant systems. The rates are obtained in a well-separated manner from plateaus, occurring when comparing the steady-state current for reversed driving cycles. This yields a reliable readout independent of any fitting parameters. Importantly, the nonadiabatic pumping spectroscopy essentially exploits the same driving scheme as the operation of these devices generally employs. We provide a detailed analysis of the working principle of the readout scheme as well as of possible errors, thereby demonstrating its broad applicability. The precise knowledge of relaxation rates is highly relevant for the implementation of time-dependently operated devices, such as electron pumps for metrology or qubits in quantum information.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figure

Dopant-controlled single-electron pumping through a metallic island

We investigate a hybrid metallic island / single dopant electron pump based on fully-depleted silicon on insulator technology. Electron transfer between the central metallic island and the leads is controlled by resonant tunneling through single phosphorus dopants in the barriers. Top gates above the barriers are used control the resonance conditions. Applying radio frequency signals to the gates, non-adiabatic quantized electron pumping is achieved. A simple deterministic model is presented and confirmed by comparing measurements with simulations

Transport électronique à travers deux dopants, en régime statique et dynamique dans des transistors silicium

Dans cette thèse, nous nous sommes intéressés à l'étude à basse température de dispositifs en silicium de taille nanométrique. Dans ces dispositifs, il est possible de faire passer le courant électrique à travers un nombre réduit de dopants. Nous avons étudié plus spécifiquement le cas de deux dopants en séries, dont les potentiels électrostatiques sont contrôlés indépendamment par deux tensions de grille. En régime de transport électronique statique, il est possible d'effectuer une spectroscopie des niveaux électronique des dopants. On mesure la séparation des deux premiers états de dopants phosphore, qui est proche de 10 meV, alors qu'elle est de 11,7 meV pour des dopants dilués dans un cristal massif. Cette différence s'explique par la proximité des dopants avec une interface avec de l'oxyde de silicium. En régime dynamique, lorsque les niveaux des dopants sont modulés par un signal périodique, on observe qu'un courant est généré par le dispositif. L'évolution du courant en fonction des tensions de grille est simulée en prenant en compte les couplages tunnels du système. À haute fréquence, lorsque l'on observe la quantification d'énergie électromagnétique échangée avec le système, on reproduit le courant mesuré en fonction de l'amplitude du signal appliqué sur les grilles. Cette mesure permet de mettre en évidence la cohérence d'un électron partagé sur deux dopants.In this thesis, we studied low temperature silicon devices of nanometer size. In these devices, an electric current can flow through a small number of dopants. We studied the case of two dopants in series which electrostatic potentials are controlled independently by two gate voltages. In static regime, it is possible to perform spectroscopy of electronic doping levels. We measure an energy separation of the first two states for the phosphorus dopants around 10 meV, while this separation is 11.7 meV for dopants diluted in a bulk crystal. This difference is explained by the proximity of dopants with a silicon oxide interface. When the levels of the dopants are modulated by a periodic signal a current is generated by the device. The evolution of the current versus gate voltages is simulated by taking into account the tunnel couplings of the system. At high frequency, when we observe the quantification of electromagnetic energy exchanged with the system, the measured current as a function of the amplitude of the signal applied to the gates is described. This is an experimental evidence of the coherence of an electron shared by two dopants.SAVOIE-SCD - Bib.électronique (730659901) / SudocGRENOBLE1/INP-Bib.électronique (384210012) / SudocGRENOBLE2/3-Bib.électronique (384219901) / SudocSudocFranceF

Pauli Blockade in a Few-Hole PMOS Double Quantum Dot limited by Spin-Orbit Interaction

We report on hole compact double quantum dots fabricated using conventional CMOS technology. We provide evidence of Pauli spin blockade in the few hole regime which is relevant to spin qubit implementations. A current dip is observed around zero magnetic field, in agreement with the expected behavior for the case of strong spin-orbit. We deduce an intradot spin relaxation rate $\approx$120\,kHz for the first holes, an important step towards a robust hole spin-orbit qubit

Multiscale structure of nacre biomaterial: Thermomechanical behavior and wear processes

Sheet nacre is a hybrid biocomposite with a multiscale structure, including nanograins of CaCO 3 (97% wt.% – 40 nm in size) and two organic matrices: (i) the interlamellar mainly composed of β-chitin and proteins, and (ii) the intracrystalline composed by silk-fibroin-like proteins. This material is currently contemplated for the manufacture of small prostheses (e.g. rachis and dorsal vertebra prostheses) which are subjected to micro-slip or fretting motion. In this work, the tribological behaviour of nacre is studied by varying the frictional dissipated power from few nW to several hundreds mW, in order to assess the various responses of the different nacre’s components, independently. Results reveal various dissipative mechanisms vs. dissipated frictional power: organic thin film lubrication, tablet’s elastoplastic deformations, stick-slip phenomenon and/or multiscale wear processes, including various thermo-mechanical processes (i.e., mineral phase transformation, organics melting and friction-induced nanoshocks process on a large range). All these mechanisms are controlled by the multiscale and anisotropy of its structure – and especially by its both matrices and respective orientation vs. the sliding direction